Coconut Milk Emulsions

Abstract

Coconut milk is considered as one of food emulsions, composed of coconut oil droplets dispersed in aqueous phase and coconut protein as natural emulsifier. Canned coconut milk and UHT (Ultra High Temperature) coconut milk are export products from Thailand. Various processing operations are important for industrial coconut milk production, including homogenization to reduce emulsion particle size, heating for sterilization, and addition of stabilizers to improve emulsion stability. This article reviews previous research on the properties of coconut milk emulsions before and after those processes. The effects of addition of different types and amounts of emulsifiers and hydrocolloids are discussed. The knowledge here is useful to researchers for further developing coconut milk products to have higher emulsion stability, better ability to withstand environmental stresses, and longer shelf life.